Super Smash Bros: The Golden Years
by Sir Starlll
Summary: SSB has become an online MMO, full of players. Join Phy, a young boy, and his adventures as he fights hackers, befriends moderators, and hangs out with Harrison Ford's biggest fan. Inspired by Smashtasm.
1. Chapter 1

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

A/N

Starlll: Oh my god! You're actually READING this? What's WRONG with you-I mean... WELCOME! People who have read the original fanfic, and newcomers alike, welcome to my new story, 'Smash Bros: The Golden Days'!

Phy: Oh lord... are you SERIOUSLY starting a fanfic? Don't you have another one that's been on hold for MONTHS?

Starlll: ...Well, if memory serves, that's how I started the original Sci-Phy. It turned out pretty well, too! Anyway, just to clear a few things up:

1) This is NOT a Smashtasm rip-off. It was inspired by it, but it only borrows a few elements from the series.

2) You do NOT have to have read the first Sci-Phy to read this one. In fact, I actually recommend that you don't read the first one.

3) I am accepting OC's. Just fill out a short character sheet, and I'll see if I can fit them in. While I'll try to include all OC's, some will have smaller roles than others. Still, please, send them in!

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Disclaimer: Super Smash Brothers Brawl, and all game characters, belong to Nintendo. I own Phy.

/

"_Welcome back to Smash Bros.: Online! We apologize for our servers being down for so long. While most of the technical errors have been fixed, there are still some bugs being solved. Please, feel free to email us with any concerns at __._

_Thank you!_

_-Nintendo Staff_"

Phy closed the email. He rolled his eyes at it, but didn't delete it right away. All of his other mail from before had been wiped from the system's memory. Nearly all of his personal data was erased. Contacts, stickers, trophies, even his Win/Loss record was down the drain (though, some would say that the last one was for the best).

The boy had also lost his custom stage, which he used as a type of headquarters. Everyone had lost their stages. A player had to pay five hundred tokens to make a custom stage, one hundred extra to include furniture and extra features, and twenty-five more to get a CD player for music (CD's could be won in battles, or bought either by stores or vendors). They had to pay an extra 500 to upgrade to a Medium-sized stage, and another 1000 to get the final upgrade into a Large. Players generally started out with 1000 tokens, as a gift for making a new account. More often than not, they used it to make a custom stage, not unlike Phy.

Unfortunately, because everyone had lost their stages when the system had crashed, many players would have to start all over again. Players who lost their stages were given a free Small stage, all extras free of charge. It seemed like a nice deal to those who had just started playing, but Veteran characters who strove to get a Large stage were nearly in tears at the prospect of having to start over.

Phy didn't mind having a small stage. In fact, he preferred it. He didn't even know what he'd fill it with, had he been given a large stage. He had gotten a desk to go with his messaging system (a fairly recent inclusion before the crash, which made it possible to talk to friends in-game, not unlike emails), a CD-player, a large trunk for stashing unused stickers and tokens, and he was set.

Still, it made him sad that he couldn't contact his friends. All of his contacts had been lost, and he had no way to contact them. Unless, of course, he had memorized their friend codes. Unfortunately, the codes were twelve digits long, so as to avoid Spam-bots flooding their messaging systems with friend invitations.

Phy took one last look down at his avatar's short, familiar body (Ness always fit him better than Lucas), headed out of his private stage, and into the closest public server. If all of his contacts were wiped, so be it. But he definitely wouldn't sit around, moping. A new list. A new Win/Loss record.

A new adventure.

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/

So, like I said, if you want your OC to appear, just fill out this character sheet. Most people like to base it off themselves, and the character they usually use, but it's up to you.

Character Sheet:

Name:

Personality:

Plays as: (Character and color)

Fighting Strategy: (Overly-cautious? Charge head-on? Spam attacks? Abuse items?)

Plays the Game Because: (Wants to have fun? Wants to be a hacker? Wants to be a Moderator?)

Fighting Level: (1-9)

For example, for Phy, it would be:

Name: Phy

Personality: Childish at times, but very determined when things get tough.

Plays as: Ness, Yellow

Fighting Strategy: Often uses 'Noob tactics', but aspires to get better.

Plays the Game Because: He wants to be a Moderator, but isn't good enough at the game. He lied about his age, because he was two years under the limit (you have to be 13 years to play). Everybody knows it, but nobody enforces the rule.

Fighting Level: 3.

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One last thing. I promise, this is the last one. A friend of mine (she knows who she is) already has an OC submitted. She doesn't have to re-send her character sheet; I still remember her backstory.

Don't forget to review!


	2. Chapter 2

_Inspired by Smastasm_

Authors Notes:

Starlll: ...Wow. Sixteen reviews on the FIRST CHAPTER. I forgot how good this feels... Thank you, everyone, for sending in your OC's! Like I said, I'm going to try to use all the OC's I get, but some will still have larger roles than others. One thing that I should have mentioned, though, is that the higher-leveled players will be introduced a bit later in the story.

Phy: You've gotten FOURTEEN fancharacters already? Dang, you won't even NEED to make your own!

Starlll: (Nods) Yeah! Which saves me quite a bit of trouble, seeing as how I've actually been mostly relying on cameos, for now. So, anyway, without any further ado (other than the disclaimer), enjoy the chapter!

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Disclaimer: All stages, character models, and SSB in general belongs to Nintendo. I own Phy. Jake Heart belongs to DarknessofHeart (Not to be confused with MasterofHearts1313), ObiwanDS belongs to himself, and Ikerulesall belongs to himself.

/

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Phy glanced around the new server. He was in the Summit stage. The mountain's peak was covered in ice, which reflected the nighttime sky beautifully. The northern lights could be seen from a distance, lighting up the sky with a mesh of pink and blue colors.

It was a public server, so there were at least seven or eight other players already there. Most were talking with friends (both new and old), and some were brawling across the slippery stage. But what caught his attention was two players who had just battled, now talking.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Asked one player, a blue Link, the name 'ObiwanDS' hovering over his head.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you, though." The second one was a golden-colored Ike, labeled Ikerulesall. He sounded polite. Formal, in fact.

"We moderators are always looking for more players to join." ObiwanDS said. "Especially veterans. You actually BEAT me, back there."

"Again, no thank you. I appreciate your offer, but I must decline."

"Fine, fine..." Ikerulesall walked off, probably to head to a different server.

Moderators had been losing power to hackers, lately. While some players wanted to join the mods, who were viewed as the white knights of Super Smash Online, many wanted to be hackers. Some just hacked for fun, which was usually allowed, so long as it didn't turn into anything serious. But many hackers preferred to take it to the next level, trying to outdo eachother, crashing entire servers.

Phy lost track of the gold Ike. He had declined the offer to be a mod, but he almost certainly wasn't a hacker. While many players wanted to join the battle between hackers and moderators, even more just wanted to play the game. Some people liked to play as Bounty Hunters. If a Hacker became infamous enough, then the people running the MMO would put a price on whoever could catch the Hacker, and turn him in. Rewards were usually tokens, but could range from anything from stickers to entire stages. The greatest Bounty Hunter was a player named 'Sharpshooter'. He became a legend in some circles, said to use hacks in order to rope in his bounty. Others said he's an AI made by an incredible hacker. Some just say he's a fat 30-year-old in his mother's basement, but they're generally ignored. The major difference between Bounty Hunters and Moderators is that Bounty Hunters don't specifically follow the rules. They were notorious for being the hardcore players, who would do anything it took to get a job done.

Phy knew this wasn't the case. He had met quite a few Bounty Hunters in his life, including a certain player he considered to be one of his best friends. [The authoress who owns this OC knows who she is.]

"Anyone wanna battle?" Phy called out. It was common for newer players to just blurt out that they're looking for battles. It wasn't like you could just start attacking someone on a server. First, you had to send an invitation, then the other one had to accept. Then both players would head to a meta-server, where they could finally fight. It was a tedious process, but better than getting sucker-punched when you just wanted to hang out with your friends.

After a few moments, a message popped up on Phy's screen.

"JakeHeart would like to battle!"

Phy clicked 'Accept', and the two were sent to a seperate Summit stage.

/

Phy vs. JakeHeart

Stock: 1 Life

Stage: Summit

Items: All on Medium

Bet: 200 tokens

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Phy had made a bad decision in not knowing who his enemy was before accepting the Brawl. Some players were, of course, better-suited for some stages than others. Phy had no idea at the time, but his opponent was probably one of the best choices for the Summit stage.

In front of him spawned a Pit, dressed in black. Pits of that color always reminded Phy of ravens, for some reason.

JakeHeart got ready to dodge, expecting JakeHeart to use an arrow right from the start, but was thrown off when he didn't. He stumbled on the ice (everybody hated that feature, but for some reason, Nintendo refused to get rid of it), but Jakeheart didn't take advantage of that, either.

"When you're ready, then." Said Heart, patiently.

"...Thanks." Phy, nodding. He got up, and shot a PK-fire, but Heart used his shield to deflect it, the spark rebounding, and hit the boy.

While he was trapped in the flames, Heart slashed at him with his knives, before pulling him into a spin attack. Phy retaliated by throwing his yo-yo, knocking the angel back. Phy tried another PK fire, when Heart shielded. He didn't get a chance to use his actual shield, though, so it wasn't reflected back at Phy. It was, however, enough to give Heart enough chance to retaliate with a stab.

Phy side-stepped away, getting to the far side of the map. Jake began to follow, when Phy jumped. He was about to follow, when the glacier began to crack. Suddenly, the stage was falling. Gravity was lessened, making Phy float a bit. He used a PK Thunder. Heart jumped up, ready to dodge the ball of electricity, when Phy directed it around, and to his back. The propelled him further.

Heart dodged it, leaving Phy helpless in middair. The angel flew over to him with his wings, charged up a smash attack middair, and sent the boy flying.

/

Winner: JakeHeart!

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/

Author's Notes:

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Starlll: Okay, so, for the last few days, I've gotten a flood of reviews. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE the reviews. They're good. Only, with them also came a TSUNAMI of characters. Again, I like the fancharacters. I don't really mind getting them. Heck, I ASKED for them. Only, could you all do me a favor? Put a bit more creativity in them. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you're sending me them. Only, a few of you, honestly, didn't give me a lot to go on. Like, for example, give your character... I dunno, a speech impediment. Or, they speak only in quotes. Or, they're a hacker. Like I said, I'm not trying to insult you. Really, I'm glad that so many people sent in reviews. I'm just saying, could you please add a bit more?

Phy: Moving on...

Starlll: Right!

/

The Review Corner

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Starlll: Okay, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the review corner! Whenever I get a really good review-

Phy: (Inturrupts him) He means one that he can make enough jokes off of.

Starlll: Right you are, Phy! When I get a funny enough review (or just one I can make fun _of_), I like to post it here, while my OCs and I... discuss... it. ...I swear, it's a lot better than it sounds. Just, send in your reviews, and maybe yours will get chosen!


	3. Chapter 3

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

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_Dedicated to my Grandpa. Happy Veteran's Day!_

_/_

A/N

Starlll: Dear GOD, that's a lot of OC's! Again, I'm not asking you to stop. I like to know that so many of you like my story enough that you want to be a part of it... but MAN, that's a lot of OC's!

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Disclaimer: Still stands. Cherry belongs to FloraFLY.

/

"You're really good!" Said Heart, helping Phy up. "You could work on your timing, though..."

Phy nodded. "Thanks! I've been practicing a lot, lately."

Heart paused. Was he _serious_? Still, Phy seemed like a nice enough person...

"Wanna trade friend codes?" Asked Phy.

"Sure." Heart nodded, and the two traded codes, and were registered on each others rosters. "Want to head to a 2 vs 2 server?" Phy nodded, and the two headed to another server.

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Phy waited in the loading screen. It was at 47%. They provided a sand bag while your stage loaded, so you could practice your combos. Phy ran up to the sand bag, doing a simple smash attack. It went about halfway to the edge. He hit at it again, this time getting it to the very edge. He used PK Thunder on himself, propelling himself, accidentally falling off the stage.

53%.

Phy respawned, along with the bag. He hit it with his yo-yo a few times, then used his bat. He misjudged the angle, though, and it went straight into the air. He jumped after it, and tried a comet smash, but wound up sending it back to the center of the stage, and fell off by accident.

63%.

"Stupid... sand bag..." Grumbled Phy after respawning, the boy shot out a flurry of PK fires. Then he knocked it into the air, and hit it with a PK flash. It hit the sandbag at an angle though, hitting it straight back down into Phy, knocking him down. "GAH!"

85%.

"The name's Phy... proud owner of a BASEBALL BAT!" He charged a hit with his bat, then hit it again in midair with a PK Thunder. He ran under it, keeping it up with a few smash attacks, then charged a hit over to the side.

95%.

The boy ran over to the very edge of the platform, and did a comet smash. The sandbag was about to be knocked out, but the game suddenly finished loading before it went off the screen.

100%.

"COME ON!"

/

Phy and Heart spawned on Skyworld. Oddly enough, though, the stage was snowing. There weren't many players there. The few that were there all were trying to ignore the snow (save one person, who was belting out 'Let it Snow' at the top of his lungs).

"Why the flip is it snowing-" Before he could finish, Phy was suddenly cut off.

"LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!" A Kirby screamed.

"Be quiet!" He said, annoyed. "Who hacked this server?"

"Hai!" Shouted a pink Zelda, popping up next to him.

"IT DOESN'T SHOW SIGN OF STOPPING! I'VE GOT SOME CORN FOR POPPING! LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!"

"Quiet! Jeez..." Phy said. Then, to the girl: "Do you know who hacked the server?"

"It was me!" She said, happily.

"...You're a hacker?" Phy clarified, ready to fight.

"Nope! I just like snow!" She spun in the snow a bit, giggling. "I'm Cherry!"

"...How do I know for sure that you're not a hacker-"

"THE FIRE IS SLOWLY DYING! AND MY DEAR, WE'RE STILL GOOD-BYEING! BUT AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME SO, LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW!"

"-Shut up!"

"Aw... here! Take this!" Said Cherry, giving him and Heart a sticker. "See? I'm nice!"

"She doesn't seem that bad..." Said Heart to Phy, putting away the sticker. "Let's take her with us!"

"...Okay, fine..." Said Phy. He knew that not all hackers were bad, but he was still cautious. "Shame we can't do a 3 vs 3, though..." He pointed out.

"We could do a platformer stage!" Suggested Cherry. "Those let up to FOUR play!"

"Let's go, then!" Said Heart, opening the server list.

"LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT-"

"SHUT UP!"

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**Cherry joined the party**!


	4. Chapter 4

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

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A/N

Starlll: Man, what a day...

Phy: Don't you have a chapter to write?

Starlll: Huh?

Phy: Golden Years? You said you'd update every Tuesday and Friday.

Starlll: ...Oh god... (Cracks knuckles) Let's get writing...

/

Disclaimer: Still stands.

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Phy, Cherry, and Heart landed in an icy stage. It was for platforming, instead of brawling, though. This was because there were few people who would be willing to fight a team of three, and those who were would probably be best left alone, so that they could go back to training their team of level 100 shiny Pokemon in their parents' basement and wondering why girls don't like them*1

"Icy Mountain?" Asked Phy, glancing up at the stage. It was a newer one. Most of the levels in the MMO were from the original games, with touched up graphics. Icy Mountain was based off of a stage from Melee (which Phy never had a chance to play), though with a few key differences.

"I thought it'd be fun!" Said Cherry, happily. "New stages FTW!"

They started off at the foot of a mountain. It got higher as they went further to the right; a two-dimensional mountain. It was easy at first, with the occasional snowball falling downhill, but after a while, the mountain began to change shape. It stopped increasing at a normal slope, and had weird patterns. Sometimes, the mountain went straight up, causing them difficulty to continue up.

The screen began moving on it's own. If they were too slow, or got hit by a snowball, they'd fall right off the stage. Still, it was easy enough. Nobody lost any lives, yet.

"AH! SNOWBALL-Oof!"

...Well, nobody other than Phy, that is...

After some climbing, the camera stopped. They were forced into a small cavern, with an entry (or exit) on both sides. Suddenly, the walls around them closed, trapping them in.

A few enemies were summoned. Some Ice Prymids, who were the mirror image of Fire Prymids*2, but instead sprayed ice at you, freezing your character in a block of ice, appeared. One spat a small ball of ice at them, which Heart reflected back with his shield. The other one attempted to run up and spray Cherry with a breath of icy air, but she side-stepped around it, hitting the creature in the back.

Heart used an arrow on his Prymid, and closed the distance between them while it was stunned. He locked it into a knife-spinning attack, then combo-ed it with another power-slash.

Cherry was dodging all of her Prymid's attacks, hitting it while it wasn't looking. She was quick, but rarely used her shield. Most of the Prymid's attacks missed, but it was problematic when they did. Still, she managed to finish off her Prymid at around the same time as Heart. The two stood back to back, ready for another group of enemies to spawn.

"...Cherry?" Asked Heart.

"Yea?"

"...Where's Phy?"

On the very edge of the screen was Phy, trying desperately to get into the shut-off cavern.

"Stupid... buggy... stage..." He mumbled, kicking at the wall.

Suddenly, the walls sprung open, and a giant monster flew into the room from Phy's end, sending him flying.

"OwowowowowOW!" Shouted Phy, rebounding off the walls. "Stupid... enemy..." He grumbled, then got into fighting position.

Unfortunately, they had only gotten a glimpse of the monster as it flew by. It resembled a twenty-foot snowflake, but that was all they could see before it was off the screen. They continued on, now fighting the occasional Prymid. Phy was making use of his bat, trying to knock back large snowballs with it.

The three hiked up the mountain. Every once and a while, a Glice appeared, rolling towards them. Luckily, they were easier to dodge than the large mounds of snow rolling down the hill. Unluckily, they did more damage, and were more likely to lead to a KO, because the camera was picking up speed.

Cherry saw an item box on a ledge. She hopped up (bouncing off of Heart's head to get an extra jump), and then teleported over to the ledge. The camera was closing in on her. She quickly smashed open the box, and grabbed the stickers inside. It was too late, though. The screen moved too far, knocking her out. She lost a life, leaving her with two, but kept the stickers.

"I could grab the items, next time..." Heart said, a bit sore that she had jumped off of him. "I mean, I can jump higher..."

"Sorry!" She giggled, and kept moving.

After Heart nearly lost his first life, they finally made it to the top of the mountain. The giant snowflake-monster from earlier suddenly appeared, shrieking. The first thing you noticed about it (other than it's size) was it's blood-red eyes, standing out against the body, which was a nearly-transparent shade of blue. It's body was a pattern, like a normal snowflake, with random shapes around it's center, mirroring each other perfectly. Were it not for the blood-colored eyes, the monster would actually be angelic.

The name 'Glacies' appeared in the top corner of the screen, along with a giant health bar.

"You're going down, Snowman!" Shouted Phy, eager to start the fight. Then he looked down in shame, wishing he had thought of a better insult than 'Snowman'.

"That was almost as terrible as 'Plumber-Style'!" Laughed Cherry, as Heart shot an arrow at Glacies.

/

Glacies Vs. Phy, Heart, and Cherry

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The Snow-Monster spun, evading the arrow. Phy jumped for it, hitting it with his yo-yo in midair. It didn't do much damage, but it was enough for Glacies to retaliate. It exhaled a snowstorm in Phy's direction, which he barely avoided.

Cherry blasted it with magic as it was occupied with Phy, and Heart shot more arrows. Glacies targeted Heart, now, giving Phy a chance to use PK Flash. It shrieked in pain, cracking a bit. It opened it's mouth wide, and sprayed Heart with a snowstorm. He had already been weakened by the stage, so Heart was knocked out, leaving him with two lives. Glacies then used the opening it had made to summon a giant snowball, hurling it in Cherry's direction. She teleported out of the way while Phy used another PK Flash.

The Snow-Monster targeted Phy, but Cherry managed to cast Din's Fire, which did surprising damage. It shrieked again, at half heath. It summoned up a blizzard, which affected nearly the entire stage. Heart respawned just as the attack was used, but he had a five-second invincibility, so he was unaffected.

Phy was knocked out by the blizzard, but Cherry teleported to safety. She used Nayru's love to deflect a series of snowballs shot by Glacies. It did very little damage, but it was better than taking some herself. Heart attacked it with his knives, cracking it's body even further.

Phy respawned, hitting Glacies with his bat. The three of them concentrated their fire, managing to chip it down to one-quarter-health, before it knocked Cherry out. It managed to isolate Heart, ready to take him down, when Phy used PK Fire. This stunned Glacies, doing more damage than expected. That was when he realized: fire does extra damage! Of course!

"Use Din's Fire!" He shouted to Cherry. The two of them used their fire attacks on the boss, cracking it the rest of the way _just_ before it took another of Heart's lives. Glacies shrieked one final time before shattering into a million little pieces, scattering everywhere.

/

Winner: Phy, Heart, and Cherry!

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The three took a moment to catch their breath. A giant pile of snow began to rise behind them. They watched it as it grew, until the giant ball of snow it covered most of the screen. Then two red eyes popped out.

"...You've GOT to be kidding me..." Began Phy. They started running down the other side of the hill. The mound of snow began to roll, picking up speed as it went downhill. An avalanche started, which would swallow them whole.

Phy was terrified, as he was on his last life. If he lost his entire stock, he wouldn't get any of the stickers of trophies they found on the stage. Heart wasn't as afraid, because he still had two lives left. Cherry, however, was having the time of her life.

"Snow everywhere!" She cheered.

They jumped over the occasional rock, or ducked under a low-hanging tree branch. If they tripped, they wouldn't have enough time to recover, and lose a life.

When they got to the bottom, finishing the mad dash to the end of the mountain, there was a giant wall in their way.

"WHO THE HECK DESIGNS THESE LEVELS?" Shouted Phy. It was too hight for him to jump over.

"Jump off me!" Shouted Heart.

"But you said-" Cherry began, but was cut off by the sound of Phy jumping off of Heart's head, getting over the wall. Heart gestured for her to go, too. The avalanche was almost there. She jumped off of him, then teleported the rest of the way over. The angel began to fly, but was covered in snow before he could.

They both stared, knowing that Heart sacrificed his share of the treasure for them. Maybe he thought that he would still make it over in time. Maybe he wanted to distract them from trying to get over, so he could get all the treasure himself. No matter what, he still wound up sacrificing himself for them. Somberly, Cherry and Phy began heading for the end-level flag.

"Forgetting someone?" It was Heart. "I still had one life left-Oof!" He was cut off when they both tackled him.

All three had made it through the stage. There were some things that you just couldn't help being friends after. Perhaps this was one of them.

/

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After their success at the Icy Mountain, the three decided to go to a nearby Player-Run Cafe. Usually, players kept their custom stages private. However, from time to time, a player would get a sudden passion to open up a shop, or just make a place for others to hang out. Cafe's fell into the later category. This one had an 'Underground' theme. It was lit by torches, and had stone walls. The main difference between a Cafe and a Shop was that in a Cafe, you traded for other stickers or trophies, while in a shop, you paid in Smash Tokens. More people usually liked to go to the Cafes rather than Shops, because Shops demanded more money when you bought, and less when you sold. When you trade, you always get around how much the item is worth.

"Do either of you have a Trophy Stand sticker?" Asked Heart, going over his sticker collection. "I'll give you a rare Hylian Shield sticker for it." He offered.

"I have a Trophy Stand sticker," Said another person at the table. The name 'Ikerulesall' hovered above his head. He sounded familiar, but Phy couldn't remember where he saw him from. "But I want a Metal Prymid Trophy for it."

"Throw in a Samus Aran sticker, and you have a deal!" The two traded.

As the players made small talk, Phy's messaging system went off. In fact, everyone's did. Phy checked the new message. It was from the Nintendo Hacker Protection System (NHPS).

"_WARNING! A new hacker has been detected. His screen name is 'SN1P3R', and has a threat level of 8. He has hacked four accounts, and two servers. If seen, please contact a moderator._

_Thank you for your cooperation,_

_The Nintendo Hacker Protection System_"

Phy smile was so large, you could hear it in every word he said.

"Guys..." He said to Cherry and Heart. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"...Phy, if I think I'm thinking what you're thinking..."

"I think you're thinking what I think you're thinking."

"But, Phy! They said to be careful, and to contact a Moderator if he was found! A bounty hasn't even been posted!"

They received another message.

"_Update on the hacker, 'SN1P3R':_

_A 1,000 token bounty has been placed on whoever can ban this player._

_Thank you for your cooperation,_

_The Nintendo Hacker Protection System_"

"...BOUNTY HUNT!" Shouted Cherry, gleefully making it snow.

/

*1) I just want you all to know, I don't mean any offense by this. ...Okay, a LITTLE offense, but really, a team of all 100's I can KIND of understand, but if they're also all shiny, you either cheat or have no life. I'm sorry, but until you can prove me otherwise, really, I'm adamant about this.

*2) I usually have a strict policy against inventing my own enemies, but these are pretty straightforward. Just a clone of the already-existing Fire Prymid, only with ice instead of fire.


	5. Arc 1: Hunting Snipe

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

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A/N

/

Phy: ...Hey! It's Friday!

Starlll: Dang! I REALLY suck at writing on a schedule! Okay... you guys mind if I change the update days to Tuesday and Saturday?

Phy: Will this be the ONLY time you change them?

Starlll: I wouldn't bet on it.

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Disclaimer: Still stands. I own SN1P3R. Phalèon belongs to TheWordMasterOfFanfiction. Also, I forgot to mention in the last chapter; there is no 'Nintendo Hacker Protection System'.

/

**Part 1:**

Snipe Hunting

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"So, why are we going to Edlin?" Asked Cherry, skipping along with the rest of them. They were heading for the 'Bridge of Eldin' stage.

"So that we can find out more about the hacker." Explained Heart, simply. "He was last-seen, there."

"I mean, why do we have to find out stuff about this guy?" She asked, making it snow wherever she walked. "Why can't the people running the game just put a tracer on him? Or, just ban-hammer that sucker!"

"...That's a VERY good question..." Heart admitted.

"You two don't know?" Asked Phy, surprised. "Hackers use a program called 'WNP'. It stands for 'Warfare Nintendo Program'. It instantly lets the hacker drop off of whatever security the game has. Nobody really knows who made it, but it's free, if you know where to look."

"Who made it?" Asked Heart, interested.

"Iono." Phy replied, shrugging. "But, after a while, Nintendo either had to find a solution, or shut down the entire MMO. Luckily, they managed to make a counter-program, called 'SNP', or 'Stalemate Nintendo program'."

"Oh, right, I heard about that!" Heart remembered. "All players download it when they make their accounts. The moment you activate 'WNP', the 'SNP' goes off. It forces the hacker's account so that they can't log off for twenty-four hours after being activated."

"But, if they DO manage to evade moderators for the twenty-four hours, they can log off and back on whenever they want. So, the second stage of the SNP is activated." Phy continued. "If they get beaten in a battle, then it somehow hacks the WNP, canceling it out."

"'Warfare Nintendo Program'? 'Stalemate Nintendo Program'?" Cherry repeated. "Who the blankity-blank named this stuff?"

"Probably some guy who's been up all night, and really needs some sleep." Said Phy, shrugging. "Who really doesn't care if he can hear a universal facepalm, because it's hard coming up with acronyms*1?"

"Excuse me?" Asked Heart, confused.

"Hm?"

"You just said..."

"No I didn't."

"...Never mind..."

/

After a decent amount of traveling (and loading screens), they finally made it to the Bridge of Eldin. Before the system crashed, it had been used as the loading screen, with the character battling a Bot. After the crash, though, they switched the loading screen to the sandbag challenge, allowing the Bridge of Eldin to be used as a stage to battle other players on.

The server was completely barren. Only bounty hunters and moderators were the only ones who went to stages after a hacker attacked it, and even they usually waited the twenty-four hour period before doing any research.

"So, what are we looking for?" Asked Cherry. She didn't make the server snow, in case it messed up the already-broken server even further.

"Well, a person who could tell us exactly what happened, and where SN1P3R went might help..." Phy suggested, trying to be funny.

"Okay! I'll tell you if I find one!" Said Cherry, and skipped away.

"...So, Heart, you find anything?" Asked Phy.

"Yeah!" He nodded. "...Well, actually, no. Not technically. But, I was looking at the server's data, and found that it's not password-protected! None of the memory is! So, I'm allowed to look through recordings of this server!"

"You can _do_ that?" Asked Phy, surprised.

"Yeah! I took a class on programming computers, once." He explained. "It's pretty simple, once you get the hang of it. I just need a person who was here at the time, then I can show you everything that happened!"

"Shame..." The boy replied. "Where could we find that?"

"Hey, guys!" Shouted Cherry, from across the server. "I found someone who might be able to tell us exactly what happened, and where SN1P3R went!"

Phy and Heart quickly ran over to Cherry, who was standing in front of a frozen gray-colored Snake. Frozen wouldn't exactly be the right word, though. The account still seemed to still be online, but the player was gone, as if he lost control over his character. The name 'Phalèon' hovered over his head.

"This must have been the bird who laid the eggs!" Shouted Cherry, happily.

"That made no sense..." Phy pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but if I said, 'This must have been the player who got hacked', I would have been stating the obvious!"

Phy paused for a moment, then decided not to bother trying to figure out what she meant.

"So, you just need to push a few buttons, and we can find out what happened?" Asked Phy to Heart.

"Yeah." The black Pit replied. "Just give me a few seconds... loading... aaaaand... presto!"

A video-player-box appeared on Phy's screen (as well as Cherry's and Heart's). He clicked play.

\

**Twenty minutes earlier...**

/

"Well, this has been a _productive_ day, wouldn't you say?" Asked a player. He was playing as a black Falco. His feathers seemed darker than usual, though. As if his entire aura had a sinister feel to it.

"I suppose." Replied another player, walking with him. She was a girl, but played as Marth, with white clothing (though a cape with a red layer under it, which felt as if she had a hidden layer of craziness underneath the formal white). "It hasn't exactly been the most discreet, though..."

"Details, details!" The first replied, waving it off. "So I crashed two servers at the same time! If I get caught, at least I have you on my side."

"Of course, Snipe." She said.

"Ex-cuse me?" It was the host of the server, a gray Snake. Phalèon. "You're a Hacker?"

"Yes, why?" SN1P3R replied, not bothering to hide it. "Are you going to fight me?"

Phalèon glared it him. 'Get the hell out of my stage', his expression seemed to say. 'I'll fight you from one end of the Internet to the other'.

"Get out of my server..."

"Or what? You'll fight me?"

"Damn straight."

"Then let the games begin. Maeve, if you would be so kind as to meet me in Norfair?" The Marth who was traveling with him, apparently named 'Maeve', nodded, and left the server.

\

SN1P3R vs. Phalèon.

Stage: Eldin Bridge

Stock: 3 Lives

Items: All on low

Bet: Officially, 1 token. Unofficially, Phalèon's account for SN1P3R's.

/

They both acted the moment the match started. Phalèon charged forward, while SN1P3R shot with his laser gun. Phalèon dove, dodging the attack, and then grabbing SN1P3R. He threw him into the ground, and then kicked him while he was down.

SN1P3R rolled to the side, then shot again from the ground, this time hitting him. The Snake nearly stumbled, but kept his balance, aiming two quick punches, followed by a kick. The hacker retaliated by ducking down and swiping at his legs, tripping Phalèon. While he was on the ground, he used a Fire Bird attack, angling it straight into Phalèon.

Acting quickly, SN1P3R used the slight distance the Fire Bird attack had given him to pull off another shot on his opponent. He tried his laser gun, but Phalèon jumped too quickly. He used his Cypher to go higher, then dive down on SN1P3R. The Hacker began another Fire Bird, aiming straight up, while Phalèon charged a Down-Smash.

The two attacks made contact, canceling each other out. They were forced to different sides, and quickly charged at each other again. Right before they made contact, SN1P3R used a Falco Phantasm, stunning Phalèon as he went by, then whipping around and doing another one.

Phalèon threw a grenade, which SN1P3R deflected in a single motion. The explosive hit the Snake, sending him off-screen. Respawning, he used his burst of invincibility to aim a missile at his enemy. SN1P3R narrowly avoided it, but Phalèon curved the missile back around before he could completely evade it.

The dark falcon was nearly knocked off-screen, but managed to hold on. Phalèon ran towards him, rolling to avoid the shots SN1P3R fired from his gun. Then he jumped, and did a down-smash to knock him down, and a side-smash to force him off-screen.

"You're good..." Admitted SN1P3R. He did a Falco-Phantasm to cut the distance between them, swiping at his enemy with his talons.

"I was offered to be a mod." Phalèon replied, side-stepping and grabbing SN1P3R.

"Yet you turned them down?" He asked, ducking and sweep-kicking. "Shame."

"Why?" Asked Phalèon, jumping and trying a kick to his head.

"Well, moderators are offered certain... privileges." SN1P3R took the kick, but retaliated with an uppercut. "Not many know about them, but... well, they keep certain THINGS from happening."

"What kind of _things_?" He asked, missing a beat and taking a combo from SN1P3R.

"...I just activated a program." Said the hacker, knocking him away. "It's a password-guesser. If you beat me before it takes your account, then it'll automatically close. But, if I win, or the program simply manages to guess the correct password..." SN1P3R grinned evilly.

"You won't just be able to delete my account... you'll have complete control over it."

"It's a race against time. Move quickly or die."

Phalèon began attacking furiously. Any second, the password-guesser could hack his account. He worked so hard for years, only to lose it to some low-life hacker? No, he wouldn't let the happen. He picked him up and threw him into the ground, then kicked him while he was down.

While he was on the floor, SN1P3R fired another shot, then used the second it provided to gain the upper hand. He hit Phalèon, knocking him back, but not too far. He forced him into the ground, ready to drag him off-screen.

Then a horn blew.

A goblin-knight-creature riding a boar appeared, charging across the stage. Both players leaped out of it's way, and it dropped a barrel-shaped bomb, blowing a hole in the floor. SN1P3R tried to force Phalèon into the hole, but he managed to stay on, and threw SN1P3R down into it, causing a knock-out.

SN1P3R came back, and did a Fire Bird while Phalèon side-stepped away. He did a Falco Phantasm, knocking Phalèon off screen.

Both were on their last lives.

Phalèon tried an all-out offensive, feeling every second as it passed by. Every second that went by was countless guesses on his password. All SN1P3R had to do was hold off on the fight for long enough, and he'd win by default.

Suddenly, Phalèon gained the upper-hand. He threw him into the ground, then kicked him. SN1P3R nearly went into the hole, holding onto the edge with one hand. Phalèon was ready to force him into it. Then he heard something that made his face turn white:

"PASSWORD FOUND. CORRECT PASSWORD IS: 'SECRET'."

\

The video closed, and Phy stared at Phalèon's avatar, just standing there, ready to be used by SN1P3R.

"...Where do we go?" Asked Heart.

"I think he mentioned meeting that girl at Norfair..." Nodded Phy, somberly.

"It feels weird, just leaving him here..." Said Heart, referring to what was left of Phalèon.

"I wish we could log him off of his account." Phy agreed. "But SN1P3R probably changed the password by now..."

"Last one out, get the lights..." Said Cherry, and the three of them silently filed out.

/

Author's Notes:

\

Starlll: I tried to end it on a bit of a sad note.

Phy: I gathered as much...

/

The Review Corner:

\

Starlll: Dang, it's been a while since I've done this! I think I explained it once before, but I guess I'll go over it again: every once and a while, I'll take a review someone submitted, and post it here. My OC's and I take turns commenting on it. So, send in your reviews! Really, I love them!

/

_Submitted by Pax the Dreamer:_

\

_Nice chapter! Really, a very decent length, not too long to lose our attention, but not too short, either. Brought us through a stage in your world, faced us against a familiar boss, and-  
><em>/

Starlll: Oh, thanks!

\_  
>...okay, I'm sorry, but I have to recount this event in full.<br>_/

Starlll: ...Uh-oh...

\_  
>"That was when he realized: fire does extra damage! Of course!"<br>I LITTERALLY face-palmed. Hard. And it hurt. I'll be sending you the medical bill._

/_  
><em>Starlll: Dang! That will never hold up in court! I'm getting Phoenix Wright as my lawyer!

\_  
>Well, this SN1P3R fellow seems like they'll be interesting, and I'd like to see himher beat Phy's butt._

/

Phy: Hey!

\

_However, I just have to say... and this is petty, I know, but not really a complaint on your story, just wondering about something in-universe, for lack of a better word:  
>Why the HECK would you name yourself anything like that? It's like you're hanging a bright, Neon sign around your neck that says "Hello, I am a hacker! Prepared to have the rest of your gaming life ruined!"<em>

/

Starlll: Well Ex-cuuuse me, Princess!

SN1P3R: You're one to talk, Mister Dreamer. Honestly, how did you even go about thinking of the name 'Pax'? It's not even a word!_  
><em>\_  
>Well, anyway, as I've already said, good chapter, decent length, blah-blah-blah. Next chapter we'll be introduced to a hacker, and it definatly has that good "building" pace going. <em>

/

Starlll: I think you misspelled 'definitely'.

\

*1: I'm looking at you, Pax.


	6. Chapter 6

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

\

A/N

Starlll: No homework? On a Monday? I guess I'll get a head start on tomorrow's chapter, then! ...But you know what? An hour of Fallout 3 wouldn't hurt!

/

Four and a Half hours later:

\

Starlll: Man, that was GREAT! I'm so going to write a Fallout fanfic, someday... Other than Road to New Vegas...

Phy: Hey! (Snaps fingers) You have to write the next chapter!

Starlll: Right! Has it really been four and a half hours? I only got ONE level up, too! Okay, okay, chapter... chapter...

/

Disclaimer: Still stands. Han Solo belongs to George Lucas. Haninator belongs to herself.

\

"Snow won't fit this server at ALL!" Said Cherry, bouncing around Norfair a bit. There was lava everywhere, save the occasional hovering platform which they traveled across. Phy could almost feel the heat, radiating from his computer screen.

"Too bad it doesn't rain lava..." Agreed Phy. It was intended as a joke, but she actually considered it.

"ZOMG! I should totally make it rain lava!" She shouted, ready to work on the hack.

"Not right now... we're looking for someone." Heart pointed out, keeping his patience.

"Just sayin'... it'd be fun to work on!"

"Okay, ANYWAY," Said Phy, changing the subject. "Let's start searching the server. Sniper should be around here, somewhere..."

"I think it's pronounced 'SunnNN-One-PEE-three-urrrr'." Cherry replied, checking under a platform.

"That's because it's written in 'leet'." Heart said, referring to the ancient language used by skillful computer wizards, to enchant their programs. "I's turn into 1's... E's turn into 3's..."

"Why doesn't he just write it in English?" Now Cherry was hanging onto the edge of the stage, trying to get a better view under it.

"It IS English." Phy said. "Just a screwed-up version of it that makes some people want to poke their eyes out."

"Are you making fun of my master's name?" Phy turned around, to see the white Marth from earlier. SN1P3R called her Maeve, right? "Following him would be a bad idea..."

"What are you going to do?" Phy asked. He intended for it to be louder, but he was actually a bit scared...

"Nothing... yet." She said, stepping closer to him. She played as Marth, and Phy played as Ness, so he was barely half her height. "But look out... my master isn't the type to just LET you catch up to him... especially since he still has twenty-three hours left before he can log off."

"Where is he?" This time, it was Heart. He still had a level head, as if he wasn't afraid of getting hacked.

"Now, I can't just TELL you." Maeve smiled. "Though, just a hint..." She turned to face Phy, again. "A server just opened called 'The Harrison Ford fanclub'. I think you'll find something you'll like, there..." And she vanished. She didn't disconnect, though. It was like she had picked up a Cloaking Device (an item introduced in Melee, but taken out when they made Brawl. Some players started a petition, so Nintendo promised to include it in the MMO). Clearly a hack... still, not many hackers actually knew how to program items into other servers, with the effects directly onto the player.

They glanced around, a bit afraid that Maeve might pop up and attack. After a few minutes, Cherry finally asked:

"Harrison Ford fanclub? What's that mean? Does SunnNN-one-PEE-three-urrrr like Han Solo?"

"N-no..." Phy said. "Just somebody I know from a _long_ time ago..."

/

A bit later...

\

"HARRISON FORD 4EVUR!" Shouted a random fangirl. They were in a custom-made stage, designed to look like Indiana Jones' whip.

"HARISON FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORD!" Shouted another.

"YOU SHALL ALL GIVE YOUR LIVES TO THE FORD!"

"...Phy?" Asked Cherry.

"Yes?"

"...I'm scared..."

"Me too..."

"Don't worry; we'll be fine." Said Heart, as a fangirl threw a bomb-omb at a player labeled 'Ikerulesall', knocking him off the stage. "...Yeah, fangirls are scary..."

"We just have to stay here for a little bit longer." Said Phy. "Until she shows up-"

"PHY?" It was a yellow Link. The name 'Haninator' hovered above her head. "Phy!"

"Han!" He called back. "Where have you been?"

"Trying to find you!"

Phy noticed someone enter onscreen. A dark Falco. SN1P3R. He stood still for a moment, and placed what looked like a black Gooey Bomb on the ground. He walked out, calmly.

"Stop him!" Phy shouted, over Haninator's shoulder. "He's a hacker-"

The bomb went off, and a series of gray flashes exploded out of it. The lighting of the stage began to strobe in different shades of whites and black. People's voices came out in bursts, lagging, or not at all. Suddenly, a player force-quited.

"DISCONNECT!" Phy shouted. "HURRY!"

/

**Server has crashed**

\

Author's Notes:

/

Starlll: Ooh, cliffhanger! Okay, guys, I should probably explain something that a reviewer mentioned, the other day. He said that it wasn't really such a bad thing to get your account hacked, because you don't really lose anything. That Smash Bros is all about skill, and your account doesn't depend on skill.

Phy: Technically, he's right.

Starlll: (Nods) While it's not like losing your account means that you lose your skill, you DO lose a lot. All of your Smash Tokens, your stickers, your trophies, your Win/Loss record, your friend list... really, while it's not like you lose any actual 'talent', you still do lose hours and hours of work. Plus, you can't make a new account as easily, because you'll need to make a new email address for it, and screen name... plus, it feels kind of bad, knowing that you probably won't see the friends you made online again.

Phy: Really, it's a bad thing.

Starlll: So, click that review button! Really, guys, reviews are always nice! They might even be able to cure cancer, if we get enough! We'll never know unless we try...


	7. Chapter 7

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

\

Author's Notes:

/

Starlll: ...I _really_ hate how much I procrastinate.

Phy: I know what you mean...

Starlll: No, really, what am I even DOING that takes up so much time? Phy, you've gotta help me! I need to learn how to get work done!

Phy: Hey, don't look at me. I spend all my time playing an online video game!

Starlll: That you're not even very good at...

Phy: Heeeey!

\

"Everyone okay?" Asked Phy. Him, Heart, and Cherry had gone to the last server they had been on (Norfair), just in time to escape the server crashing. Haninator and the rest of the group had either gone to a different server, or had their accounts hacked.

"I'm good..." Said Heart.

"Life is just a bowl of cherries..." Sang Cherry, happily.

"So, that was Sniper?" Asked Heart.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was Sunn-One-Pee-Three-Ur." Replied Cherry, confused. "I'm not sure WHO 'Sniper' is..."

"...Yes, Heart, that was Sniper." Phy said, ignoring Cherry. "Jerk crashed the server, just to show he could..."

Heart paused.

"Phy? Can you call me 'Jake'?" Heart asked. "It's my real name; I like it better."

"Oh, sorry. Okay, Jake. So, do you have any video of Sniper from before he crashed the server?"

"Well, I THINK... why?"

"You never know. Maybe he nefariously stated his entire plan before leaving, expecting there to be no survivors. You know, like a cartoon villain!"

"Or any James Bond villain ever!" Cherry added.

"...Okay, I'll _check_..." Jake said. "But I don't think anything is going to come up..."

/

**Three minutes earlier:**

\

SN1P3R and Maeve were standing next to each other, crouched out of view.

"So, master, what's the plan?" Maeve asked. She seemed calm, but you could tell she was excited. She was clearly a new hacker, and this was probably her first major attack on the system.

"I'm about to launch a Gray Nuke, and shut down the server." SN1P3R explained. Gray Nukes were a type of 'bomb' that overloaded the system, instantly destroying the server, and any players inside of it. "That'll attract some attention. While I do that, you launch one in the Hyrule Temple server. By then, all hell will have broken loose, giving me a chance to activate the Zeppelins."

"Zeppelins?" Asked Maeve. "I can't say I know what those are..."

"You'll see..." She could practically HEAR his evil grin. "WarWolf step aside... I'M going to be the one to crash the system, this time..."

/

"Told ya'." Grinned Phy.

"What are Zeppelins?" Cherry repeated Maeve's question.

"Well... they're, um..." Jake paused. "Those... you know, the things... with the stuff... can you help me out, Phy?"

"Yeah! You know, Zeppelins! Everybody knows about the Zeppelins! They... do... stuff."

"What kind of stuff?"

"Hacking... stuff. Like... hacks. And stuff."  
>"Ghosts n' Stuff?" Asked Cherry.<p>

"Uh, maybe...?" Phy paused, then changed the subject. "Okay, look, that Maeve girl said she'd be going to Hyrule Temple, to launch a Gray Nuke, right? So, let's just stop her before it's too late!"

\

Author's Note-

/

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Shouted Phy. "Look, last chapter was too short! You aren't going to do that twice in a row! At least fill it out to two full pages before you do the Author's Notes!"

"**But I need to space it out, more, or Arc 1 won't be long enough!"** Pointed out the Author.

"Okay, fine, then just throw in some kind of random short! Like, a battle or something!"

"**Alright... fine... who, though?"** Asked the Author.

"I dunno... Cherry vs. Maeve? I don't think we've seen any girls fighting, yet."

"**Okay! Onto the show**!**"**

\

**Starlll formally presents to you...**

**...A Smash Bros: Golden Years short!**

**Cherry vs. Maeve!**

/

Cherry was sitting in a Cafe, making it snow. She giggled, watching the snowflakes flutter by. Most people either hummed 'Let it Snow', thinking that they were original, or just ignored her. She didn't realize, though, that she was annoying another player.

"Could you STOP that?" Asked Maeve.

"Stop what?" Asked Cherry. The snow vanished as it hit the ground, so it was impossible to get the full 'Winter Wonderland' feel, but it still looked nice (at least to her).

"That snow." Maeve kept her patience. "It's getting annoying."

"Aw... but everyone likes snow!"

"It's glitching through my trophies..."

"Move your trophies."

"Move your snow."

"I can't move snow! I'm not a goddess!"

"Then I won't move my trophies."

"Aw... come on, let's be friends!" Cherry skipped over to Maeve.

"Just go away..." She glared at Cherry.

"Aw... you're not nice..."

"How about this:" Maeve offered. "Let's just fight. Whoever loses has to leave."

"Okay!"

\

Cherry vs. Maeve

Items: All on high

Stock: 3

Stage: Corneria

/

Maeve started off on the left side of the ship, instantly jumping for Cherry. She, in return, cast a Din's fire, straight for her. She quickly dodged, midair, landing, and trying to hit her with her sword. Cherry quickly side-stepped to Maeve's left, and aimed a hit for her back.

She took the hit, then jumped over her, grabbing a Deku nut that just fell. Cherry ran to the right side of the ship, just over the engines. She ducked under the triangular 'fin' in the middle of the ship, as Maeve came down after her. She threw the Deku nut, but Cherry used Nayru's Love, deflecting it back at her. She tried to recover, but Cherry kept knocking her back. After a few tries, though, Maeve managed to jump over the triangle, and to the left side of the ship, grabbing a Dragoon piece.

Cherry cast a Din's Fire, but missed as Maeve lunged towards her, attacking with her sword. She got a few good slashes in, but she managed to side-step, and grab the other piece of the Dragoon. Maeve caught the third piece before it landed, and used Dolphin's Slash on her, followed by a quick Side-B combo, making her drop the piece she had collected. Maeve took the final piece, and jumped onto the Dragoon. She aimed, and...

Cherry JUST managed to side-step, doing a back handspring to avoid getting hit by the deadly air-ride machine. A hammer dropped off from the side of the screen, which Cherry caught. She started blindly swinging, chasing after Maeve, who took refuge on an passing Arwing.

After the Hammer wore off, the Arwing did a barrel-roll, making Maeve fall off, and land off-screen, result in a KO. She respawned as a Smash Ball appeared, an quickly broke it open. Cherry got onto the other end, thinking that she'd be safe because of the difference in height, but didn't expect Maeve to actually run along the stage instead of just going in a straight horizontal line. This lead to a knock-out.

When she respawned, Cherry grabbed a fan, and knocked open a party ball. Two stop-watches fell out. She grabbed the first one, slowing down her opponent, then Maeve grabbed the second one, slowing down Cherry. The two began hitting eachother in slow-motion. Maeve used a slower, charged attack. This, when mixed with the stopwatch made it last JUST long enough for a sticky-bomb to spawn over them, and activate against the blade of the sword, knocking them both back.

Another Smash Ball appeared as they managed to speed up again. Cherry cracked it open with a Din's Fire, then aimed a Light arrow. She quickly fired at point-blank, hitting Maeve, knocking her off-screen.

When she respawned, Maeve grabbed a Ray Gun, and fired at Cherry. She side-stepped, but accidentally tripped on a banana peel. She tried to side-step again, but tripped a SECOND time, landing right in front of Maeve, giving her just enough time to fire the gun. She kept shooting until she was knocked far back enough to get a KO.

Now that they were both on their last lives, things got intense. Cherry switched over to Sheik, and began getting combo-hits on Maeve, slowly raising her damage meter. After a moment, though, she managed to side-step around her, and used a Shield-Breaker, lauching her across the map, barely giving her enough room to recover.

Cherry then saw her way to win: A golden hammer. She jumped over Maeve, trying to grab it. Maeve tried to knock her away, but missed, and the pink Zelda grabbed the mallet. She spun around, ready to attack, when-

_Squeak-squeak-squeak!_

The hammer was a fake. Maeve grinned evilly, and grabbed Cherry while she was vulnerable, then threw her off the ship.

\

Winner: Maeve

/

Author's Notes:

\

Starlll: Okay, just to specify, that entire 'Maeve vs. Cherry' thing didn't REALLY happen. I just made it up to fill in some space. Plus, I really like writing these two.

(Suddenly, Pax the Dreamer appears in a puff of smoke)

Pax: Man, I never get tired of that!

Starlll: Hey, Pax. What are you doing here.

Pax: Well, I had a question.

Starlll: Shoot.

Pax: What I'm wondering is how much work these hackers go into hacking... a GAME. I mean, seriously! Hacking a regular MMO is hard enough, just look at WoW or Mabinogi!

Starlll: Pax...

Pax: But having an entire program available on the Internet to do it? AND it can easily pass through the Nintendo security, with their only method of defense being "keep them locked in for 24 hours"?

Starlll: Pax...

Pax: Either Nintendo is the WORST Internet security client ever in the history of mankind, or these hackers would better benefit from spending their time hacking into banks and taking money. So, now I like to think of all the hackers being fat men who have nothing better to do than hack a game.

Starlll: Now, you see, Pax, that is a VERY good question. The answer is actually very simple: (Walks away.)

/

P.S. To all who have reviewed: as it turns out, reviews can't cure cancer. However, we will be keeping your submitted reviews, for further testing.


	8. Chapter 8

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

\

Author's Notes:

/

Starlll: (Facedesks) Tuesday already... how the heck to these days keep creeping up on me? Seriously, it's like I'm just being lazy!

Phy: ...You kind of ARE lazy...

Starlll: I know, but I'm usually not THIS lazy!

\

Phy, Heart, and Jake headed to Hyrule Temple. It was probably one of the most-used maps in the game, because of how big it was. The actual most-used would have to be Final Destination, seeing as how most hardcore players preferred to fight in smaller stages.

This was where they ran into a problem: There were at least five different servers as 'Hyrule Temple', and any one of them could have Maeve inside.

"How do we figure out which one it is?" Asked Phy, to Jake. "Can you get character lists?"

"No, not unless I'm actually IN the server... and it'd take to long to go from server to server."

"Is there any way to figure out where she is?"

"No... not unless we're willing to wait for one of them to suddenly be destroyed." Jake said. "But then, that might not work either.

"What about the Pong?" Asked Cherry.

"You mean, the Ping?"

"I'm not sure..."

"...Wait, Cherry, you're right!" Said Jake. "That Cloaking shield! She must be hacking it in! And when you hack in things, the Ping changes! All we have to do is watch the Ping, and when it goes significantly up, we know that someone is making the server lag! Then we'll just go in there, and stop her."

"What's ping?" Asked Phy, confused.

"It's that number on the server list." Explained Jake. "Basically, the higher the ping, the slower the server runs."

So, the three of them waited. And waited. And waited.

"Hey, how do we even KNOW if she's going to use her cloaking shield?" Asked Jake.

"...If YOU had an epic ninja-pwnage-weapon, would YOU use it?" Cherry replied.

"...Touche..."

\

30 Minutes later

/

"I'm boooooored!" Shouted Cherry. "I bet she's not even going to come!"

"She's probably just waiting for a good chance to strike." Replied Phy, who was trying to think up combos. And failing.

"Yeah, just a few more-" Jake paused, then closed the Solitaire window he had open. "Guys? The ping's rising! Let's go! Server 4!"

The three of them joined the server. It seemed fairly normal, other than a flame war about how they took Marth out of the game. People were always complaining about how the game changed from Melee, though they usually didn't do anything about it.

Maeve was standing under the pillar on the right side of the map, invisible. She was probably loading the Gray Nukes. Jake, thinking quick, dashed towards her, sending a battle invite.

"Now, you look familiar." She said, turning visible, looking at Jake. "Norfair, correct? I'm surprised; I expected you to lose your account when my master hacked that server."

"Thanks for telling us about that server, by the way." Jake said. "Really, we almost got HACKED!"

"That was the point." Maeve smiled. "You want to battle? Why on Earth would I accept?"

"...I'll give you my account." People were starting to watch them. "If you win, I'll give you my account. If I win, you leave."

"You account? What's on it?"

"A few hundred tokens, and a ton of stickers." Jake could feel himself digging his own grave. Still, all he needed was for someone to get a moderator. He just had to stay alive for long enough.

"...Fine. Let's go, Heart." Maeve said, and accepted the invite.

\

**Jake vs. Maeve**

Stage: Hyrule Temple

Stock: 1

Items: None

Bet: None (Fighting for the server's protection/destruction)

/

**3...**

Jake glanced at his life count. He should have set it higher, but he hadn't wasn't thinking when he sent the invite. He just moved on impulse.

**2...**

Maeve looked at her opponent. It shouldn't be too hard... his win/loss record was still pretty low. She doubted that he had been playing for very long.

**1...**

They got into the position to fight...

**GO!**

Maeve dashed forward, as Jake shot an arrow. She dove under it, then dropped under a platform, out of sight. Jake went down after her, only to get hit in the back. He spun his knives, trying to catch her, but missing. She did a Dolphin Slash, both hitting him and getting onto the platform above her. Jake went down to avoid her, in the lower section of the stage.

She started to turn and go after him, but he used his wings to fly up the right side of the map, a feat which would have been impossible, had he been using any other character. He narrowly avoided one of her attacks, and hit her with his knives, rapidly pressing A.

Maeve retaliated with a series of Side-B's, which Jake took full-force. He quickly side-stepped, dodging the last hit just in time. He hit her in the back, then used his special Shield to avoid her next hit. He quickly started running, so he could get enough room for an arrow. She jumped after him as he fired the arrow, using Counter while falling. She absorbed the shot and landed in time to hit him, making him land near the edge.

She kicked Jake, then hit him with her sword. He hit her from the ground, trying to get back up. She tried to counter, but was a second too early, and he knocked her back. Gaining the upper-hand, he lunged at her, pulling her into a knife-spinning attack. When it wore off, he knocked her down, then grabbed her.

"Deactivate the Gray Nukes." Jake said, hitting her.

"Why should I?" She asked, struggling to get free. "I just said that I'd leave, not that I'd call it off."

"Deactivate them!" He shouted.

Maeve broke free. The timer beeped. They were done loading. She waved goodbye, turning invisible.

\

**Connection with server lost**.

/

A/N:

Starlll: Ooh! Not exactly a cliffy, but still pretty intense! Please, review!


	9. Chapter 9

_Inspired by Smashtasm_

\

A/N

/

Starlll: Okay, so, I've been getting quite a few reviews asking me to write longer chapters. I'm glad you like my writing, but I have to tell you, this is usually about as much as I can write. Sure, I might write long ones, from time to time, but usually, I have trouble making it all the way to three pages. If I go much longer, I usually wind up scraping at the bottom of the barrel, and it doesn't turn out so well. Don't get me wrong, I'm getting better. Really, you should have seen my first story. It's barely legible. So, basically, what I'm saying is, I apologize in advance, but the chapter length probably not going to increase very much.

Phy: Anything else?

Starlll: Yeah: the fact that I've flesh out most of the MMO has been leading to some confusion. You see, there are a few vital details which really haven't been explained. For the most part, you're supposed to just kind of play along when something makes sense. Only, there are a few things that you ARE supposed to wonder about... (Sighs) man, this is getting complicated... okay, I'll tell you right now: it WILL be explained why Nintendo sucks so badly with their security. Really, almost the entire story is leading up to a moment involving WHY they don't just tighten up security. As for why hackers actually have to enter servers and do the animations to launch things like Gray Nukes... ...well, that'll be SORT of explained... it's pretty much for the same reason that they don't tighten up security. I promise, it'll make sense eventually.

Phy: Okay, onto the chap-

Starlll: WAIT! One last thing! The reason why it's so bad for a server to go down, is that it costs a TON to reboot it, repair damages, and attempt to salvage any lost accounts. It sucks so much to get your account hacked because, while you can still make a new account, you'll lose your custom stages, smash tokens, stickers, trophies, win/loss record, and, most importantly, all of your friend data. You will probably NEVER see the friends you made online again, if your account is hacked.

Phy: NOW, we start the chapter.

\

Disclaimer: Still stands. I don't own 'Ghosts N' Stuff'. It belongs to Deadmau5. Asha belongs to Eponine in Spirit.

/

"Is everyone alright?" Called out Phy.

"I'm okay..." Said one guy.

"What happened?" Shouted a second person.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Said a third.

"'Sall goo'." A fourth one mumbled.

"Ookie-Dookie, Artichokie!" Sang Cherry.

Heart wasn't there.

"He was a good man..." Phy lamented. "I'm going to miss him."

"Now he'll never see the lava rain hack I've been working on!" Cherry shouted.

"Hey, are you from the hacked server?" Asked a new voice. She was playing as a green Zelda, the name 'Asha' floating over her head.

"Maaaaaaybe..." Cherry said, sliding up next to her, attempting a sad impersonation of a gangster. "What's it to ya'?"

"Well, I'm hunting Sniper." She said, business-like. "Please, tell me what happened in the server, and I'll be on my way."

"Woah, now." Cherry said, doing a terrible fake Brooklyn accent. "Just gimme a bit o' coin, and we can get this all settled, now..."

"Just tell me what you know." She was getting annoyed.

"Actually," Said Phy, cutting in before Cherry made Asha too angry. "We're hunting Sniper, too. Maybe we could pool our resources, and split the credit?"

"That sounds like a good idea." Asha admitted. "Are you a mod?"

"Nope, but I will be, someday! Mark my words!"

"How could I 'Marth' your words?" Asked Cherry. "He's a playable character, not a verb!"

"...But, yeah, I'm going to be a mod, some day." Phy said, ignoring Cherry.

"Same here." Asha nodded. "So, what do you know about SN1P3R?"

"...Well, he's a hacker..."

"I assumed that much."

"And he hacks servers..."

"And?"

"He uses Gray Nukes..."

"AND?"

"...Oh, right, he has a Hench-lady named Maeve!" Phy remembered. "She uses a cloaking device, which makes the Ping on servers go up!"

"Okay, that's something." Asha nodded.

"And... um... Oh, right, Zeppelins!"

"What are Zeppelins?" Asha asked.

"...We don't really know..."

"Yes we do!" Cherry chimed in. "They're Ghosts N' Stuff! We agreed on it last time, remember?"

"No, YOU said it was Ghosts and whatever, and we just nodded along!" Phy said, then sighed. "But, yeah, he has some kind of secret weapon, I guess."

"Okay, so, where is he, now?" Asha asked.

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me that..." Phy admitted. "He said that after Maeve took down the server, he'd activate his Zeppelins. So, yeah, no idea where he is... and he's going to use a secret weapon."

"We're basically screwed." Asha nodded.

"Hey! I've been far more screwed in the past!" Shouted Phy. "But I've never given up! People!"

"It's impossible." She pointed out. "We don't even know where he IS. It'd be madness."

"MADNESS?" Phy shouted. "THIS. IS. ...yeah, actually I guess it'd be pretty silly. Still, though! Nothing is impossible! All we have to do is figure out how, and we'll find this guy! We can do it! Together!"

"...Is he always like this?" Asked Asha to Cherry.

"Usually." She giggled, making it snow.

"So, how do we find him?" Asked Asha, ignoring the snow.

"Well, maybe if we traced Maeve's locations, we can find where they'll meet up!" Phy suggested.

"We'll blind him with science!"

"Sounds like a good plan." Admitted Asha. "How will we trace HER locations?"

"...Well, we could trace her cloaking device." He offered. "That's a pretty unique hack. If we could find a way to track it..."

"Then we'll find Maeve! Okay! Follow me!" Asha shouted. "We'll go to the Nintendo Mainframe server, and get to the bottom of this!"

"We're gonna get down wit' dis!" Cherry said, picking up the fake accent again, making it snow everywhere.

\

A/N

/

Starlll: Filler, I know. I have a lot more stuff planned for the second arc, though. Which will be coming in... three chapters, give or take.

\

The Review Corner

/

Starlll: We'll be going over TWO reviews, today! One by Pax the Dreamer, and one by Fanaticofmanythings!

\

_Nice._  
>

Starlll: Thank you.

\  
><em>...what? That's not enough of a review? WELL WHY DON'T YOU TELL THAT TO SOME OF MY REVIEWERS?<em>  
>

Starlll: ...(Nudges a rock with his foot)

\  
><em>I'm just kiddin', I love you guys! ...plutonically. Please don't stalk me.<em>  
>

Starlll: Ooh, come on! Look, here's a picture of you sleeping. (Takes out a picture) Am I in it? NOOOOOOOOOOO.

\  
><em>Anyway, chapter's short, and again, as pointed out below, these people are putting an awful lot of time and effort into hacking... a GAME. <em>

/

Starlll: As opposed to hacking, you know, real life.

\

_What would make a lot of sense (to me at least) would be if it turned out the Hackers had their own special achievements with their own special trophies, so it all turns out that the hackers are the REAL nerds after all!_

/

Starlll: You have to wonder, though...

_...but hackers being unstoppable badasses is cool, too. Can't wait to see when those two bafoons can spit out what a Zepplin REALLY is. AND I WON'T REST UNTIL I FIGURE IT OUT. *Stalks them*_

/

Starlll: Get a picture of them sleeping!

Phy: Okay, the next one is from Fanaticofmanythings.

\

_Okay, honestly Pax, people hack Mario Kart Wii so they start the race with a Bullet Bill online.  
>THE WORLD IS FILLED WITH FAT MEN WITH NOTHING BETTER TO DO SO BE QUIET.<em>  
>

Starlll: You see? THIS is why you get the person who's arguing with you's little sister on your side! (She's his sister, you see.)

\  
><em>Oooooh suspense! But really short chapter. Maeve definitely seems like she'll do a Heel-Face Turn any chapter now. P.S MAEVE YOU'RE AWESOME KEEP HACKIN GURL<em>  
>

Maeve: Thanks!

\  
><em>I like the bonus fight. I'm pretty sure Maeve would have won easily WITHOUT items, but the fight got pretty dang close cause of them. She still won, though. (WOO)<em>  
>

Starlll: Yeah, but writing battles WITH items are a lot more fun, if you ask me.

\  
><em>I love the whole Zeppelin thing, though. I have no clue what they are or what they do but the whole spiel was just awkwardly funny. Love it. :3 <em>

/

Starlll: Zeppelins? Oh, that's easy! They-

Phy: Folks, we're all out of time, here! So, please, review! They can save lives! And also act as a pillow when you're not getting enough sleep!


	10. A N0te fr0m the Auth0r

A/N

Hey, everyb0dy. I need t0 ap0l0gize, f0r tw0 things. 0Ne, f0r having t0 use zer0s. This is because the 'O' key 0n my c0mputer fell 0ff. (I c0py-pasted that 'O'.) (And that 0ne.) Becuse 0f this, typing n0rmally (namely, just pushng what's left UNDER the butt0n until a letter p0ps up) became nerly imp0ssible. Really, try writing a paragraph with0ut the letter 'O' (again, c0py-pasted).

Sec0ndly, I ap0l0gize f0r n0t updating, yesterday. Like I said, my keyb0ard is br0ken. I kn0w, is s0unds like a bad excuse, but at least I'm n0t saying I have "Writer's Bl0ck". Pr0blem is, because 0f this, I'm g0ing t0 have t0 g0 0n a sh0rt hiatus while my c0mputer is in the sh0p. I kn0w, I kn0w, hiatus. S0me pe0ple are pr0bably thincing this means that I'm just g0ing t0 abend0n this pr0ject, claiming that I'm just 'putting it aside' f0r n0w. I'm n0t. Really, I'm n0t.

I h0pe y0u'll stick with me, when I get the c0mputer back! See y0u s00n!

-StarIlI

P.S. Can y0u sp0t the five misspelled words?


End file.
